Investigating Stream Energy and Gradient Using Small Stream Tables
Beth Dushman, Howard Community College
In this Physical Geology lab activity, students investigate the relationship between stream energy and gradient by changing the gradient of a small stream table and observing changes in stream erosion.

Exploring Evidence of Plate Tectonics Using GeoMapApp
Sean Cornell, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
This activity requires students to explore a range of datasets that help substantiate Plate Tectonic Theory. Students investigate plate tectonic environments (convergent, divergent, transform boundaries), topography/bathymetry of continents and ocean basins, the distribution and pattern of earthquakes, the distribution of volcanoes, as well as ages of the sea-floor, and more.

Exploring the nature of geoscience using cartoon cards
Anne Egger, Central Washington University
In this activity, students work in groups to put a set of cartoon cards in order, much in the way that we might assemble a geologic history. The primary goal of the activity is to explore the nature of science in general and the nature of geoscience or historical science specifically, without requiring any content knowledge.

Analyzing your Hometown Stream using On-line USGS NWIS Data
This educational resource page details a MATLAB-based undergraduate activity where students analyze long-term discharge data from their local streams using USGS NWIS databases to explore hydrological patterns, flood frequency, and human or climatic influences, emphasizing open-ended, student-driven geoscience inquiry and quantitative skill development within the Methods of Geoscience teaching framework. auto-generated The author of this page didn't provide a brief description so this one sentence summary was created by an AI tool. It may not be completely accurate.

Sea Floor Magnetism
Kyle Gray, University of Northern Iowa
Students use compasses and bar magnets to simulate the collection of sea floor magnetic polarity data. Even though the students do not directly observe the magnets, they use the information to infer tectonic processes present at the mid-ocean ridges and calculate the spreading rates for two different ridges.

Discovering the Principles of Relative Age Determination – a Think-Pair-Share In-Class Activity
James Ebert, SUNY Oneonta
In this in-class activity, students are challenged to identify rock units and geologic features and determine the relative ages of these features without prior instruction in the classical methods of relative age determination.

Introduction to the methods of geoscience
Anne Egger, Central Washington University
In this activity, students are introduced to the methods of inquiry in the Earth sciences and how they differ from what is classically taught in school science.

The Cube Exercise and the Methods of Science
Barbara Bekken, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
A new approach to using an exercise from the National Academy of Science publication "Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science" to support students in developing a deeper understanding of descriptive methods, experimental methods, and methodological assumptions.

Transport of heavy metals in the Clark Fork River
Kathleen Harper, The University of Montana-Missoula
This is an activity about transport of sediment contaminated by copper, arsenic, and other heavy metals that was deposited into the Clark Fork River channel as the result of historical mining activity. The Clark Fork River between Butte and Milltown, Montana has been the focus of several large superfund projects designed to address the impacts of this legacy of mining in the watershed. This activity is used in an introductory physical geology lab (primarily non-majors) with students who may have limited experience working with quantitative analysis and analyzing graphs.

Making the "black box" model more transparent
Kaatje van der Hoeven Kraft, Whatcom Community College
This content is a supplemental educational page detailing an inquiry-based "black box" modeling activity designed to teach geoscience methods, emphasizing scientific process skills such as hypothesis testing, model development, peer collaboration, and communication, with direct application to understanding Earth's interior through analogical reasoning and structured assessment. auto-generated The author of this page didn't provide a brief description so this one sentence summary was created by an AI tool. It may not be completely accurate.